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I am grateful for the 3-year Study Abroad on Government Scholarships awarded by the Ministry of Education in Taiwan. I greatly appreciate the Research Travel Grant, Conference Subsidies, and Scholarship that were offered by UCLA. I am also thankful for the Ambassador Scholarship awarded by the Rotary International Club and the help of Robert Peterson, the President of Rotary Club in Los Angeles downtown. My thanks also go to Director Shui-chin Chang, Tony Lee, Emily Shen and Disa Wu in Cultural Division, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles.
There are also several professors and directors’ I would like to thank for their ideas when I conducted research interviews with them. This includes Professor and Theater Critic Hwang Mei-shu, Professor Mingder Chung, and Professor Ivy I-chu Chang.
Without Stan Lai’s enthusiasm in taking my interviews many times, I could not have understood his genius, including his effective method of collective improvisation, artistic employment of mise en scène, and his religious belief in Tibetan Buddhism. I am so grateful for Stan’s assistance in providing me with research materials, valuable performance photos and letting me watch the rehearsals.
I am also thankful to all the directors (including Stan Lai, Chou Hui-ling, Wei Ying-chuan, Dai Chun-fang, Wu Hsing-chu, Wu Xin-kuo,and Wang Mo-lin) for their assistance in providing me with their performance tapes and VCDs, their willingness to participate in my interviews, and provide me with the stage photos.
My gratitude also goes to my colleagues, the faculty and staff in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Department of Communication and Technology in College of Hakka Studies at National Chiao Tung University (NCTU), especially Chair Chiang Shu-chen, Associate Professor Chuang Ya-chung, Vice-Dean Huaung Shaw-Herng, and Dean Chuang Ying-Chang. The professors in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, and Graduate Institute for Social Research and Cultural Studies shared with me their scholarly experiences. I also benefited from the research support of my distinguished university: NCTU. A special thanks to Li Mei-Jung for her help in contacting the directors to acquire the stage photos.